Mama’s beauty go-tos 

Hi everyone, 

Today I thought it would be fun to share the makeup I have been loving lately. Not because I am good at doing at my makeup (full disclosure I am not) but because these are products that work for me and ones I find extremely easy to use and thought maybe some of you may want to give something new a try. 

The first product is foundation:


Wet & Wild Photo Focus is my new all time favourite foundation – It’s medium coverage, feels lightweight and has a semi-dewy finish. I purchased from Crush Cosmetics for $15.00 and in my opinion you just can’t beat it!!! 
Next is bronzer 


Soleil Tan De Chanel – its a creamy, warm bronzer. It can be used as a base under your foundation or over the top. I use it in place of a traditional powder bronzer. On occasion I use it as an eyeshadow too. It’s a bit on the pricey side but it is a large container and will last ages & ages. I purchased from David Jones for $69.00
Next is an eyeshadow palette 

Marc Jacobs Beauty Style Eye Con in 204 Starlet – is a great every day palette with lots of colour choice and I like that it is small enough to fit in a makeup bag when travelling, yet still has a decent sized mirror. The payoff is gorgeous and I feel like a little bit goes along way. I purchased from Sephora for $89.00 (currently out of stock) 
Lastly is lipgloss & lipstick 

I love lipsticks and lip glosses and honestly my favourites haven’t changed for a very long time. My favourite lipstick is Chanel Rogue Coco hydrating lipstick in Rose Cosmete. Its a nice pale pink and one I feel comfortable wearing everyday. I can’t find this colour readily to buy, however I orginally purchased from David Jones and they still have a great variety of colours for $53.00 


My favourite lipgloss is Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hi Shine lipgloss in the colour Sugar Sugar 312. It can be worn alone or over the top of lipsticks, I do both but love wearing it alone when I haven’t got any makeup on but want to look a little put together. This lipgloss was ‘free with purchase’ so is a dinky travel size however Sephora sell the full size for $42.00 and it will be a purchase I make once I run out of this little baby. 
What have you been loving lately? What’s your go to makeup items, I would love to know! In particular mascara, I have the hardest time finding a mascara I actually like. 

Until next time, 

BCM

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The terrible twos! 

The terrible twos, we’ve all heard of it, a lot of us have experienced it and others are dealing with it right now. But how terrible are the ‘terrible twos’

I’m the latter, I’m completely in the middle of the terrible twos, we’ve got the tantrums and the blantant disregard of rules. But is it terrible? No, I don’t think so, I think there is a lot more to a toddler than we realise. 

I know a lot of people think this generation is too soft on their kids, but I think that is utter bullshit. We may parent differently than older generations but it doesn’t mean it’s the wrong way to parent – it’s just that, different.

I think the terrible twos are the time in a toddler’s life we they are beginning to learn about their emotions and how to handle and process them correctly. I know even as an adult,  this can be an extremely hard skill to master. (Some days I totally want to throw myself on the ground when I don’t get my way) Feelings are difficult to understand and toddlers are experiencing new ones all the time. It can be really overwhelming to feel extremely upset about something that they aren’t able (allowed) to do simply because they are too young or small. And that’s where pushing the boundaries begins to come into it, once they realise that they are aren’t allowed to do certain things, such as take toys off their sister (I wonder who does that?!) they want to find out if that rule applies every time and to everyone or only in that particular situation – I guess it really is the best way to learn. 

So I say that for the most part the terrible twos are not actually ‘terrible’, they are simply the phase in a child’s life where they are beginning to understand their emotions and that they have to behave a certain way, and sometimes it just becomes way too much!

Of course I’m not saying sometimes children aren’t naughty – because they are (don’t I know it) but I don’t believe in saying a particular age is terrible. Lets be real, children can be naughty at any age! 
Until next time, 

BCM

Baby names we love but won’t be using… part 2 

Hi again, 

Last year I shared baby names we love but won’t be using and thought that I’d do it again, seeing as we had another visit to the baby books for our newest baby and had to go through the naming process all over again. (Isn’t that one of the hardest parts of having a baby) 
1.


This was a name my husband wanted for Rhemy, I liked it, but didn’t love it. We revisited it for Miami as he still really liked it, but I couldn’t commit. 

2. 

This one I still love and my husband likes it too. It was a contender, but I guess Miami was just the winner this time.

3. 

This was our boys name, we found out the gender of baby #2 as well, so we didn’t look at many boys names. 

4. 

This was my baby girl name for as long as I can remember. I really don’t know why it wasn’t used for either girls, I guess it just never felt right.

5. 

Simple and elegant. I love this name, my husband loves this name. Just not enough. 

6. 

I love this name for a girl, my husband wouldn’t budge! 

7. 

We talked about Rosie, it has sentimental value to us, but I just didn’t like it with our surname. 

8. 

I loved this for a girl, my husband didn’t hate it, but just wasn’t as big of a fan

9. 

This was a high contender for Miami, we both really liked it, and then I changed my mind! 

I’d love to hear your names that you love but won’t be using, post them below in the comments. Share around with your friends and see their names, it can be a great source for names for other parents. It can be fun to see what a couples baby could have been named, etc.

Until next time 
BCM

Mummy guilt! 

I know I have talked about this on a lot of my blog platforms in one way or another but it is one that is most relevant to right now. One I think most (if not all) of us feel at one point or another. Mummy guilt! 

It’s a bitch! It creeps up on us when we don’t expect it too, when we are going about our every day, when we are working, when we are trying to sleep! 

I feel it a lot – I feel it for Rhemy and how quickly she had to grow up. For the moments she needs me and I can’t be there for her because her sister needs me more, for the times I realise I expect her to be older than she really is and for making her share us before she really had too. I feel it for Miami because she doesn’t get the attention she deserves, because I feel like I haven’t got the time to give to her like I gave to Rhemy, I feel it because I can’t always be there when she needs me to be and that she always has to share us. 

I blame myself when Rhemy is naughty – even though I know it’s the naughty twos! I blame myself when Miami isn’t crawling – even though I know kids do things in their own time! I blame myself when they are hurting and think of ways I could have prevented it – even though I know I really couldn’t have! I blame myself when I miss things when I’m at work – even though I know being at work means I can give them more.

Let me tell you though that mummy guilt subsides when I see them playing together, Miami laughing so hard and Rhemy being so kind. When Miami lights up when I see her and Rhemy tells me she loves me. When they hold hands because they want too or when Rhemy tries to show Miami how to crawl. 

Mummy guilt is a bitch but deep down I know I’m doing this mama thing right! 

home is where the heart is…

When you become a parent, there are certain things, memories or feelings from your own childhood that you wish to recreate for your own children. Something that always made you feel comfortable, safe or happy.

For me the thing I most wish to recreate for our girls is the security I always feel in my parents home. I have not lived with my parents for 10 years, however their house is still without a doubt one of my favourite places in the world. The comfort in their four walls is something that I cherish. Their house is home, no matter where I live. As a child, coming from a close knit family, meant I enjoyed movie nights with my family, hanging out on Sunday afternoons or playing the nintendo until bed time (even though I truly sucked compared to everyone else). We created fond memories and they still radiate in the walls of their home. The familiarity of everything in that house calms me and is my happy place if I ever feel like I need picking up.

I want this for my girls, I want to create a safe haven, a cosy home for them to cherish. I want them to love being here with us and to feel the same warmth in our home, as I feel in my parents’. I want us to be their security, for our house to hold our family memories and for it to comfort them when they need it.

I want the photos on our walls to tell one story and the familiarity of our rooms to tell another. I want them to feel at peace here. I want to pass on the feeling of being in a strong family unit. I want this house to be their happy place and for it to be their home no matter where life takes them.

All that I am, all that I’ll be – I owe to my mother and father. (and I hope one day, my kids say that about us)

What do you want to pass on to your children? Or even what do you not?

 

Until next time,

 

BCM 

Thank you coffee

To my dearest coffee,

I am writing to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you have and continue to do for me, especially in these last few years. I always drank you because I enjoyed you, but now you are my play button. The kick up the but I need to begin my days.

You have managed to single handily pick me up on multiple occasions, even if I have had to consume 4 cups of your sweet goodness to get said pick me up. You have been my morning go to for years but now you are my afternoon go to as well. You have been reheated, spilt, shared with family, friends and acquaintances. You have been tipped out, spat out and remade. You have put up with and offered so much. How would I have ever survived without you?

Without you, some days would seem so much longer. Some days I don’t know if I could open my eyes, talk to people, be nice to people. Functioning off two hours of sleep is made easier with you, not easy – easier. You are a good excuse to get together with friends and a good excuse to sit alone on the lounge for a while.

As with all good things, you certainly have your cons, such as the new stress I have when trying to enjoy you, when my toddler is in the room. The constant reminders that you are hot and the cup is not for babies is getting old. Yet I still find myself needing you every single day.

People say you’re no good for me, but  I don’t see myself ever giving you up.

Thank you coffee for all you have done!

 

[Hope you enjoyed my sarcastic letter of one of my life saviours, until next time BCM]

 

Feature image sourced from pexels.com

 

 

An open letter to all the mothers…

Hey there, yes you ! 

To the mother trying to pretend she has it all put together, the mother who actually does, the mother  who has had nine hours sleep last night and the mother who has actually had none! To the mother who’s house is immaculate and the mother who’s house is a dump, to the mother who’s baby weight fell straight off and to the mother who is heavier then before. To the mother of one and to the mother of ten! 

We are all the same, treading water in the same crazy wave pool! Trying to raise a family, raise decent, loving, honest children. Some times they love us, sometimes they don’t! Sometimes days are smooth and wonderful and others are long and exhausting. Sometimes we feel like we are winning and sometimes we truly feel we are not. Sometimes we need a shoulder to cry on and sometimes we need to be that shoulder! 

We are all quick to judge – forgetting that we are all heading towards the same goal! Others try and advise mothers how to bring up their children. When we all know its always best to leave the decision making up to the child’s parents. What works for you, doesn’t always work for them! We should build each other up, not tear each other down. 

So next time, you see a mother dealing with a toddler tantrum – give her a compassionate smile, not a condescending sneer! Next time you see a mother with two young kids and another on the way, offer your congratulations not a chuckle under your breath! (It’s not as subtle as you think)

We are all in this together, the more we feel supported, the easier this crazy roller coaster ride of parenthood will be! 

I support you, do you support me? 
Until next time, 

ABC Baby name tag

All over YouTube is a tag known as the ‘ABC baby name tag’! Basically you pick a name for a boy and a girl for each letter of the alphabet that you love. I thought this would be a fun tag and might help some of you who are in the process of naming a little one. 

I’m going to be a little bit cheeky and not add in any that I am still considering (code for trying to convince my husband) for our own little bundle. Here goes: 

                  Girls                             Boys 

A:
            Amity                              Axel 

B:          Brinley, Brielle              Blake 

C:          Charlotte                         Coby

D:         Delilah, Dylan                 Drey 

E:          Eliza                                  Emerson 

F:           Freya                                Freddie 

G:          Gretel                              George

H:          Hartley                           Henry 

I:           Indigo                              Ira 

J:           Josephine                        Jax

K:        Kinley                               Knox, Kamden

L:       Lilac                                    Luca 

M:     Milla, Matilda                 Maxton 

N:      Noah                                  Nico

O:      Odette, Olive                   Oliver

P:        Peta, Petra                      Paxton

Q:       Quilla                                Quinn 

R:      Rhemy, Reese                  Rocco

S:       Sloane                                Silas

T:        Trixie                                Tennessee 

U:      Ulyana                               Ulwyn

V:      Vivienne, Valentina      Van 

W:     Wren                                 Wyatt 

X:      Xanthe                              Xander 

Y:       Ysabel                                – 

Z:       Zuri                                    Zane 

Until next time, 
B 🙂 

Halfway! 

Today marks 19 weeks in my pregnancy, as I will be having an elective c section at 38 weeks this is half way! I can not believe it is already halfway, it feels like we only just found out. So many people say your second pregnancy seems to go quicker and they were right! I’ve been so busy with Rhemy turning 1 (still can’t believe it!) and our weekly day to day lives that the days really just turn into weeks in the blink of an eye! 

Next week we are heading to Adelaide for my obstetrician appointment and 20 week scan, we are going to try to find out the sex of the baby. I’m really interested in what this little one is, but I’m pretty sure I already know! I’ve had a strong feeling since the day we found out we were expecting, so I’m keen to see if my ‘mothers’ intuition is right! I haven’t bought a single neutral piece of clothing this time, as I never put Rhemy in them, so I am hanging to go shopping for baby things after our appointments on Friday! Whether it’s more dresses or little chinos I’m busting to know.
What team are you? Pink or blue? Share below! I’d love to hear what people think we are having! 

I’d love to share my reasoning for another c section and for why we are finding out. Would anyone be interested in reading a post about that? 

Until next time
B 🙂 

Spoil yourself mama! 

I know that once children come into our lives, that our paychecks tend to go to them and honestly that’s how I believe it should be! It’s totally acceptable for the children to get the majority and the parents to go without. However I know my husband is reading this and wondering when I have ever gone without and that’s because sometimes I think it is totally acceptable to treat ourselves! 

Whether it be purchasing something new, getting pampered or going somewhere that we enjoy. We as adults deserve something for ourselves! My husband and I are really into spending time as a family so we like to spend money doing things all together. I enjoy getting my nails done on occasion and like to splurge on makeup and handbags, my husband also has his vices. We don’t go overboard but we do allow ourselves treats, Rhemy is our priority as are our bills etc, but we like things that make us happy too.

Not everyone will agree with me and that’s okay but I think it’s perfectly acceptable to do things to make yourself happy, even something simple such as a cappuccino before work instead of a instant coffee one morning a week. Im a firm believer that a happy house produces happy children! 
Share your thoughts below !
Until next time

B 🙂